1991–92 NBA season
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second-straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *In one of the most emotional announcements in sports history, Lakers star Magic Johnson announces his retirement early in the season after receiving the news that he had tested HIV-positive. *Philadelphia 76er Charles Barkley honors Johnson by switching from his usual number 34 to 32, which he will wear for the entire season. The 76ers had retired the number in honor of Billy Cunningham, who un-retired it for Barkley to wear. *Due to back problems, Celtics star Larry Bird retires at the end of the season, thus bringing one of the most memorable eras in NBA history (Magic vs. Bird) to a close. *The 1992 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, with the West defeating the East 153–113. In an emotionally charged game, Magic Johnson wins the game's MVP award. *In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers rescheduled and moved their home playoff games to the nearest area possible. Game 4 of the Lakers-Blazers series was played at Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center while Game 4 of the Clippers-Jazz series was played at the Anaheim Convention Center. *The Utah Jazz play their first game at the Delta Center. *The Phoenix Suns play their final season at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. *The Chicago Bulls set a franchise record with 67 wins in a season (later broken by the 1995-96 team). *Dennis Rodman recorded 1,530 rebounds and averaged 18.7 rebounds per game in the regular season, both of which are the highest figures since 1972. It is the first of an NBA record seven consecutive rebounding titles for Rodman. *Michael Jordan scored 35 points in the first half to set an NBA Finals record for most points in a half. His six three-pointers also set a record for most in a half. *The Miami Heat are the first of the four late-1980s expansion franchises to make it to the playoffs. They are swept in the first round by the Bulls. Fourteen years later, they would become the first of those teams to win an NBA Championship. *On December 17, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Miami Heat by a score of 148-80. This 68-point win by the Cavaliers set the record for largest margin of victory in the history of the NBA. *All NBA teams sport patches on their warmups commemorating the centennial anniversary of basketball. This was also the first of a six-year deal between the NBA and Champion Athletics as the league's official outfitter. *The season marked the last time the Boston Celtics won 50 games (they won 51 that season). They would not win 50 games or more until the 2007-08 season. *Following the first round loss to the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons head coach Chuck Daly resigned, ending the Pistons' 'Bad Boys' era. Standings By division ;Eastern Conference ;Western Conference By conference Notes *'z' – clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs *'y' – clinched division title *'x' – clinched playoff spot Statistics leaders NBA awards *'Most Valuable Player:' Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls *'Rookie of the Year:' Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets *'Defensive Player of the Year:' David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs *'Sixth Man of the Year:' Detlef Schrempf, Indiana Pacers *'Most Improved Player:' Pervis Ellison, Washington Bullets *'Coach of the Year:' Don Nelson, Golden State Warriors *'All-NBA First Team:' **F - Karl Malone, Utah Jazz **F - Chris Mullin, Golden State Warriors **C - David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs **G - Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls **G - Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers *'All-NBA Second Team:' **F - Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls **F - Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers **C - Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks **G - Tim Hardaway, Golden State Warriors **G - John Stockton, Utah Jazz *'All-NBA Third Team:' **F - Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons **F - Kevin Willis, Atlanta Hawks **C - Brad Daugherty, Cleveland Cavaliers **G - Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers **G - Kevin Johnson, Phoenix Suns *'All-NBA Rookie Team:' **Steve Smith, Miami Heat **Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets **Billy Owens, Golden State Warriors **Stacey Augmon, Atlanta Hawks **Dikembe Mutombo, Denver Nuggets *'NBA All-Defensive First Team:' **Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons **Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls **David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs **Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls **Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons *'NBA All-Defensive Second Team:' **Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers **Buck Williams, Portland Trail Blazers **Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks **John Stockton, Utah Jazz **Micheal Williams, Indiana Pacers Category:1991 in basketball Category:NBA season